Miracle of the MacLeods
by Witch4
Summary: There is a child in the MacLeod clan who is somehow connected to Conner. Who is she? Rating has changed with the update. Chapter 4 is up!
1. Hurry, or You'll Miss the Bus!

Miracle of the MacLeods

Disclaimer: I only own the characters I came up with in my own mind and this particular fanfic. All other subjects are property of the people who created them.

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Chapter 1–Hurry, or You'll Miss the Bus!

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"Mìorbhuil Kenna MacLeod! Hurry up or you'll miss the bus!" A red-haired woman with a Scottish accent called up the stairs to the blonde teenager trying to enjoy the last few moments of sleep before she had to hurry out the door and catch her bus to school.

"I'm hurrying!" she called out, though she didn't make a move to get out of bed.

Irritated by the teen's lethargy, the woman trudged upstairs and, coming to stand at the foot of the bed where a large lump resided, pulled off the bedding, revealing the tall girl she had come to see as more of a daughter than a cousin. The girl shrieked as cool air touched her warm, sleepy form; she sat up quickly and glared at her guardian, issuing a string of Scottish-Gaelic swear words that might have made a sailor blush.

"That's enough from you, Missy! Get up and dress! You don't want to be late for your last day of school!"

Hearing the older woman's last phrase, Mìor, as everyone called her, jumped up and quickly dressed, scarfing down the toast and gulping down the juice that had been left on the nightstand.

"Thanks for the breakfast, Elsie!" she called to the woman as she ran down the stairs, grabbed her jacket and backpack, slipped on her favorite green flip-flops, and ran out the door.

"Don't forget, Cousin Duncan is coming for your graduation!" Elsie yelled out of the window she had just opened at the retreating form of her ward.

"Got it!" the yelled reply came just before the young woman ran up the stairs of the yellow bus.

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"Mìor! Over here!" a voice called to the teen as she walked up the bus's steps. Depositing the bus ticket in the canister next to the driver, Mìorbhuil MacLeod looked up and saw her best friend waving to her from the middle of the bus.

"Hey, Jamie! What's up?" she asked the brunette who had saved her a seat on the crowded bus.

"Can you believe that we graduate tonight?" the girl called Jamie asked.

"I know; it's so hard to believe that after tonight, we will have survived Hell. After 13 years of school, we'll finally be free!" The two girls squealed as the bus started moving.

"So, do you ladies have anything planned for after school? I mean, besides Grad, of course" the boy sitting directly behind Mìor asked.

"Yes, Alec; we do. We're going to go to the mall and get makeovers. Right, Mìor?" Jamie turned to her friend.

"Actually, you guys, I have to come straight home after school. My cousin Duncan's coming to Grad tonight, and Elsie is making oatcakes, hotch-potch, and forfar bridies. And, yes, Alec, she promised last night that she would make an extra one for you."

Alec, who had been watering at the mouth when his friend had mentioned her cousin's pie, nodded his thanks.

"So, since you're not going to be able to come to the mall today, can we at least meet your cousin?" Jamie asked her.

"Sure; she should have the bridies done by then. And you can find out how cool he is for yourselves, too!" All of Mìor's friends had heard about her cousin, NYU professor Duncan MacLeod, but none had met him. This was going to be a great day.

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"That girl is going to be the death of me," Elsie muttered as she watched her 18-year-old cousin dash up the bus's steps just before the vehicle pulled away.

"But will it be a violent death? Or just a shock to your system?" a deep masculine voice behind Elsie asked.

The red-head jumped a bit and whirled around, only to bump into the owner of the voice that had startled her. "Duncan MacLeod. As I live and breathe! Don't you ever do that again!" she said, smiling as she gave a playful punch to the dark-haired man standing in her cousin's room.

"Do what? Ask my cousin a question?" he asked, giving her a Cheshire cat grin as he enveloped the much shorter woman in his arms.

"Scare me, you silly goose! I thought you weren't going to be here for a few more hours," she answered, hugging him back.

"Well, I thought I should let you know the situation regarding Mìor's inheritance as soon as possible," he told her as they walked down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"What situation?" Elsie asked him as she poured both of them a mug of steaming coffee.

"There's someone within the clan who is challenging Mìor's birthright."

"Who?"

"We don't know. What we do know, however, is that she can't be allowed to go anywhere unprotected."

"That's going to be a little hard considering she's an adult now and she just left for her last day of school."

"I know which is why I've asked some friends of mine to keep tabs on her when she's in Paris."

"Watcher or Immortal?" Elsie asked him.

"Both, actually; we can't be too careful now that she's going to be out of reach of the clan holdings."

"But it's only for the summer. In September, she'll have you and Kate and Iona to watch her." Both adults drank their coffee as the silence permeated the small kitchen.

"That's true, but there's more, Elspeth."

"What do you mean more?"

"I mean, we got the results back. Mìor is not only the child of Aidan and Kirsten."

"You mean-"

"Yes; she's also the child of Conner MacLeod."

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	2. Conner's Child

Miracle of the MacLeods-Chapter 2-Conner's Child

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"Yes; she's also the child of Conner MacLeod." Duncan MacLeod studied his cousin's face; he watched as the emotions flew by just as suddenly as they had appeared.

"You're sure?"

"Yes; they did many checks to make sure that it was correct. Elsie," Duncan covered the woman's small hand with his large one. "You know what this means."

"It means that her parents named her appropriately. She truly is the miracle of the MacLeods. But I still don't see how it's possible. The two of ye can't father children."

"That's true, but there is a legend among the Immortals. It says that there is a child; a child not born of an Immortal, but a child that still holds the blood of an Immortal in their veins. The legend says that this Immortal chose to sacrifice his life for the good of humanity. He took himself out of the Game after his wife and the daughter of his heart were killed. He came back on the anniversary of his daughter's death, only to allow himself to be sacrificed by a kinsman for the sake of all that is good. Conner left her something, but he wouldn't tell me what. He said that only she would have the key to open it."

"Why are you telling me this, Duncan?"

"I'm telling you this because you are the only mother she has ever known. Her parents died when she was still a baby. You deserve to know what is going on in her life and what might happen to her." Duncan removed his hand, the warmth he had radiated dissipating quickly.

"There's something else, Cousin," Duncan said after a few moments, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had enveloped them.

"What else is there? You tell me that the girl I have raised for 17 years is the only child left of the only man to have his name banished from all of Scotland? That she, his only living descendent from his Kate is also his only living heir?" Elsie broke down in tears, her world shattered farther than she had ever thought possible.

It had been a shock to her when, on her 21st birthday, her father and the clan elders had introduced her to Conner and Duncan MacLeod and told her that they were the oldest living MacLeods. It had been an even bigger shock to find out that Conner was the reason that no son born in Scotland, at least in known history, had been given his name since his banishment from the clan; although, he had been let back in some 200-odd years later when the Frasers had tried to decimate the entire clan over land that had been won decades before Conner's grandfather had been born.

"The elders are sending people here next week to test her."

"Test her? But why-"

"They want to know how much she knows about who she is."

"She'll know nothing, if I have anything to say about it!"

"Elsie-"

"No, Duncan! When the clan gave her to me to raise, I made a promise to myself and her parents that, when the time comes, I will be the one who tells her about our clan's history. Not the elders. If you want to tell her the truth behind why she was given to me and not her mother's family, be my guest, but I will not allow anyone else to tell her why odd things happen to her! I remember when I was told; I'll not put her through the same ordeal!"

"I realize that, Elsie. I'm just telling you that you might want to make sure that she's out of the house when they come. I know that her trip isn't until next Friday, but I was hoping you'd have an idea of how to keep her out of the house between now and then."

Elsie was quiet as she listened to the Immortal. When he had finished, she stayed quiet so that she could put her thoughts in order. When she did finally speak, it was to tell him her idea.

"She said that Alec's family had invited them all over to spend the week in their beach house in Monterrey. And I told her that I was still thinking, so she still has her hopes up…So; she'll spend the week there."

Elsie and Duncan agreed that this was a good idea and soon set about making preparations for the coming festivities, i.e. the party that she and the parents of Mìor's friends were throwing for the teenagers in honor of their graduation. The party wasn't until the next day (Friday) so there wasn't a whole lot to be done except for the forfar bridies she had promised to make for that night. Getting out the ingredients, Elsie set aside extra for the bridie she had promised Alec.

"So, you're sure that she'll be safe in Monterrey?" Elsie asked twenty minutes before she was expecting the teens to be out of school.

"Yes. I have some friends down there that can keep an eye on her for us while we're keeping the elders' inquisitors at bay."

Once he had reassured her several more times, Elsie was quite certain that her younger cousin's graduation day was going to go smoothly. As she prepared herself for the onslaught of teens that would be racing through her front door at any moment, she caught herself wondering if all MacLeods were the same as Conner and Duncan.

_Of course not, you silly goose; none of us could be like them._ But still, this thought worried her.

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Reviews are welcome! Please tell me what you think!


	3. Meeting the Cousins

Miracle of the MacLeods-Chapter 3-Meeting the Cousins

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Since it was the last day of school, Mìor, Jamie, Alec, and their classmates were let out of school at 12:30. As they waited for the bus that would drop them off at Mìor's house, Alec and Jamie decided to question their friend about her cousin.

"So, what's he a professor of?" Alec, always interested in anything that had to do with teaching, asked her.

"He teaches history of medieval Europe and history of weaponry. According to Kate, he's a master of the sword."

"That sounds so cool. And you said that he should be at your house when we get there?"

"Yeah; he made me promise that I wouldn't tell Elsie that he was coming earlier than he told her."

"So, besides his career, is he cute?" Jamie, the girly-girl of the group, grilled her friend.

"He's married, Jay. And he's too old for you." Mìor didn't even know the half of it when she told them his seniority over her. "He says that it's a good thing that I'm going to be going to school in New York because it'll give him a chance to teach me how to fence like a proper MacLeod."

"Like a proper MacLeod? What does that mean?" her friends asked.

"I have no idea. All I know is that if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't even be going to school in New York. Did you know that I'm actually getting a discount partly because he works at NYU and I'll be living with him and Kate?"

"That's nice of them."

"Yeah; the only downside to that is that they said that I have to get a job so that I can pay for my own things."

"Well, at least they're being fair. I have to live in a dorm." Jamie made a face at the thought of living with a stranger who would probably mess with her stuff.

"And at least you'll both get to see some snow. I'm stuck in San Francisco because my parents won't pay for school and they both make too much for me to get financial aid," Alec put in.

The three friends continued talking about random things as they walked up the stairs of the yellow school bus that had just arrived. Ten minutes later, the trio was walking to the yellow and green house where Mìor and Elsie lived. As they walked up the walkway, they noticed that there was a red sports car parked in front of the house.

"Who's car?" Alec asked as he admired the vehicle.

Mìor's eyes lit up and, without an explanation, ran through the door that her cousin had left open and squealed as two strong arms lifted her up in a giant hug.

"Duncan! When did you get here?" she asked as he swung her around before placing her back on the ground.

"Right after you left for school. So, how was your last day as a high school student?" the tall, dark-haired man asked as they waited for the teen's friends to catch up with her.

"It was great! No finals; we watched a movie in English and then they let all of the seniors out early so we could play flag football."

"That explains the grass stains," a lilting female voice said as a brunette woman only slightly taller than Mìor and Elsie walked into the living room from the kitchen.

"Aunt Kate! You look amazing!" Mìor exclaimed as she hugged the older woman.

"Thank you, inghean. I see that you still refuse to let your hair grow out," the brunette known as Kate answered as she fingered a lock of her cousin's short blonde hair.

"And why Alec looks like he went through a large mud puddle. Hello Alec, hello Jamie," Elsie added as her cousin's friends walked into the room.

"Hello Elsie," the two teens answered.

"Do you all want to come into the kitchen for some snacks?" she asked the group.

The three teenagers nodded in reply before rushing into the kitchen, picking up plates and glasses, and greedily held out the dishes as their mouths watered at the sight and smell of the food that the red-haired woman had spent the past hour preparing for the hungry teens.

As the group ate lunch, Alec and Duncan talked about Duncan's job as a history professor (as Duncan put it) and the expensive-looking car that was parked outside of the MacLeod house.

"I don't remember seeing it this morning when I got on the bus," Mìor cut in.

"That's because I had it," Kate told the girl.

"That makes sense. So, tell me, Kate, how goes the world of fashion?" Mìor asked the woman.

"You're in fashion?" Jamie asked, her eyes wide with awe.

"You could say that. It's okay; not as easy as one might think, but it's a living." The older woman said as she took a sip of the coffee that sat in front of her.

"That sounds so cool."

For the next hour, the teens and adults talked about various topics until it was time for Jamie and Alec to go home and get ready for graduation.

"I'll call you later, 'kay?" Jamie called as Alec, the goodies that Elsie had made for him and placed in a bag, pulled her arm and walked across the street to where their families' own houses lay.

"Yeah; and we have to go over the details for Saturday's party!" Mìor called back.

After she had closed the front door, Duncan spoke, his voice sounding grave, "There's something we need to tell you, Mìorbhuil."

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Dun-dun-duuuuun! Ooh! Cliff-hanger! What did you think? Reviews are welcome! 


	4. Part of the Truth

Miracle of the MacLeods-Chapter 4-Part of the Truth

I wholeheartedly apologize for the lack of updates; my muse for this particular story left me in the lurch.

Also, Athair means father and Màthair means mother in Scottish Gaelic.

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"There's something we need to tell you, Mìorbhuil."

Mìor turned to face her cousin, a puzzled look apparent on her young face. "What is it?"

"You know that you were put into Elsie's care after your parents died, yes?"

"Yeah, but I've heard this story dozens of times before. Elsie and Athair were the only children in the clan without siblings, so they were as close as brother and sister, and when my parents died, I was given to Elsie to raise because Athair and Màthair had asked her to be my godmother."

"That's not the entire story, lass."

"It's not?"

"No. You've heard of the story of the battle between the MacLeods and the Frasers about 300 years ago?"

"Yes; what about it?"

"Well, after that battle, there were so many dead on either side that the leaders of both clans got together and decided that-"

"They decided that no child born of a Fraser and a MacLeod would be allowed to live," Elsie finished for him.

"What does that have to do with me? Athair was a MacLeod and Màthair was a Geddes."

"Sweetheart, your grandmother was a Geddes; your mother was a Fraser. Kirsten and Aiden eloped to London. When they were married, your mother said she was a Geddes so that her clan couldn't find her. The true reason you were given to me was because I am the only other person in the clan who has Fraser blood. Your parents-" Before Elsie could finish explaining Mìor's family history to her, the girl ran up to her room and slammed the door shut.

"I was afraid of this," Elsie said before walking to the kitchen.

"You're not going to talk to her?"

"I've talked enough."

"I'll go talk to her," Kate, who had been silent throughout the conversation, suddenly stood and walked up the stairs.

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"Mìor?" Kate called through the wood.

"Go away!"

"Sweetie, I just want to talk," Kate said, pushing open the door.

"About what? The lie that is my entire life?"

"It wasn't a lie; it was more of a—half-truth. They were only doing it to protect you."

Instead of replying, Mìor just broke down and started crying. Kate let her weep for the next thirty minutes before picking up the girl and dragging her into the bathroom to wash her face.

"Let's get you cleaned up, we'll go to the mall, and we'll get you a make-over and," Kate looked at the clock in the room, "We'll have just enough time to go get you some new shoes. New shoes are always the best thing to get when you're feeling miserable."

"Why?"

"Well, because they can make your feet feel very happy. And happy feet are one step closer to happy faces." The two women giggled at the joke.

"Yeah, sure. Can I call Jamie and see if she can join us?"

"Of course, sweetie."

Kate watched as her husband's cousin grabbed her cell phone and, after finding the number she wanted, called and started talking and laughing, mentioning the make-over and shoe shopping.

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"We're going to the mall!" Kate called to the two Scots sitting in the kitchen. "We'll be back in time to get to the high school!"

Duncan and Elsie heard the door slam and sighed. "Well, if anyone can make an unhappy teenager happy again, it's Kate."

"That's true."

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Okay, so not the best chapter in the world, but I'm trying my best. 


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